The Blackberries
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The Blackberries, circa 1973. Left to right: Billie Barnum, Venetta Fields, Clydie King
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| Background information | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1969-1979 |
| Labels | Mowest A&M Records |
| Past members | Clydie King Venetta Fields Sherlie Matthews Merry Clayton Patrice Holloway Billie Barnum Carlena Williams |
The Blackberries was an American female vocal trio formed in the 1970s. They were a backing vocal group for various musicians, as well as songwriters. They performed with various acts, including Pacific Gas & Electric, Humble Pie, Ringo Starr, and Pink Floyd. The Blackberries recorded for Motown's West Coast subsidiary Mowest and A&M Records.[1]
By 1970, singers Venetta Fields, Sherlie Matthews and Clydie King were in high demand as backing vocalists.[2] Fields was previously an Ikette in The Ike & Tina Turner Revue. King was previously a Raelette, backing Ray Charles. Matthews was a singer-songwriter at Mirwood Records and Motown Records. They joined forces and created the Blackberries, which Matthews named after Motown founder Berry Gordy.[3] Their single "Somebody Up There" (MW 5020F) was intended to be released on Mowest in June 1972, but was unavailable until Hip-O Select issued a compilation album The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 12A: 1972 in 2013.[4] In 1971 the DJ Tom Clay hired them in Los Angeles to record for his hit spoken word record "What the World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin, and John".
In 1972, Venetta and Clydie were hired by songwriter/producer Jimmy Webb to "help boost" the background vocals on several tracks of The Supremes album The Supremes Produced and Arranged by Jimmy Webb. Years later in his autobiography Webb wrote that he wished he had not included extra vocalists because he did not realise at the time how vocally strong The Supremes (Jean Terrell (lead), Lynda Laurence and Mary Wilson) were. In Mary Wilson's memoir she incorrectly stated that The Blossoms were the session singers; this caused confusion for many years until Jean Terrell and Lynda Laurence confirmed in a joint interview that it was definitely Clydie King and Venetta Fields who stood beside them at the recording sessions for the Motown album.
In 1972, Steve MarriottofHumble Pie asked Fields to find two other vocalists for an album session. Fields chose King and Matthews who were both previously with Raelettes to become the Blackberries. They recorded an unreleased Blackberries album with Humble Pie as the backing band. Their single "Twist And Shout" was released on A&M Records in 1973. The Blackberries also provided backing vocals to the Humble Pie album Eat It (1973). When Marriott asked them to tour with Humble Pie, Matthews declined due to personal commitments. Matthews chose Billie Barnum as her replacement. The Blackberries toured with Humble Pie in 1973.[5]
Guitarist David GilmourofPink Floyd was friends with Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley. Gilmour asked Shirley if the Pink Floyd could hire the Blackberries for two European concert dates; Marriott reluctantly agreed.[6] The Blackberries consisting of Billie Barnum, Venetta Fields and Clydie King toured with Pink Floyd on the Dark Side of the Moon Tour in October 1973.[7] By 1974, the Blackberries were Venetta Fields, Billie Barnum, and Carlena Williams.[8] They appeared on Humble Pie's 1974 album Thunderbox. That year, Pink Floyd's manager invited them to tour with the band.[6] Fields and Williams toured with Pink Floyd on their 1974 French Summer Tour and British Winter Tour later that year.[9] The duo also sang backing vocals on Pink Floyd's 1975 album Wish You Were Here and performed on their North American Tour promoting the album.[8]
Fields and King acted as The Oreos, Barbra Streisand's backing singers in the musical film A Star Is Born (1976), and sang on the accompanying soundtrack A Star Is Born.[10]
